J.T.
Reynolds returns from the war a broken man with one goal on his mind, protect
his deceased brother’s baby. When he meets the baby’s guardian, Jessica Reid,
he conceals his identity in order to judge if she’s a competent caregiver. He
finds peace and contentment in her arms and longs to build a loving family with
her.

Jessica
has been lied to by most of the men in her life and finds it difficult to form
a lasting relationship. With sole guardianship of her nephew, she struggles to
find a trustworthy babysitter until a handsome man moves into the neighbourhood.
Learning to trust again, Jessica finds strength and love in Tyler’s strong
arms. Jessica is devastated when she learns Tyler has deceived her. Is her love
resilient enough to forgive him?

EXCERPT

J. T. Reynolds stood motionless on Jessica
Reid's porch. His military training had kicked in; know your adversary before you strategize. Intent on getting to
know her, he first introduced himself to her neighbors. He'd gleaned the three
women on the cul-de-sac were close. Their bond extended to more than three
single women living on the same street. He'd learned Jessica hadn't lived here
long but she'd known both of the women for some time. Jessica and Blake had
been friends since elementary school. J. T. was amazed at how much the women
revealed when he talked to them.

The exterior of her home was well
maintained, but J. T. knew all too well appearances were deceiving. His family
always gave the pretense of a loving family until they were behind closed
doors.

A porch with white columns covered the
majority of the front of her house. He glanced in the large window, studying
his quarry. From where he stood, he could see her sitting in a rocking chair,
holding the little tike. Mesmerized, he watched the woman hold the infant in
her arms and slowly rock back and forth.

Jessica had a braid of long brown hair
across the opposite breast from the baby. From where he stood, her features
looked plain. No—solemn. Her face drawn and shoulders slumped. Impulsively, J.
T. wanted to comfort her with an embrace. For a woman he didn't know, yet, she
brought out a protective instinct in him. He tried to remember what his brother
had said about the woman but drew a blank. This was personal, yet after so many
years in the service, he felt as if this was another mission and pushed his
emotions aside.

For some reason he wondered what color her
eyes were. J.T. shook his head. He wasn't here because of the woman. The baby
was his reason for this task. The child didn't know it, but he was the closest
person J.T. had to a family. He would do anything for his foster brother's son.

Growing up, J. T. had spent years being
shuffled from one foster home to another. He never felt a connection to any of
the families until he moved in with Grant Markham's family. The two of them had
become best friends and referred to each other as brothers.

When Wyatt was born, Grant emailed J. T. in
Afghanistan with the news. He asked him if he'd be the baby's godfather and to
look out for the boy if anything should happened. At the time, J. T. joked with
him about how dangerous Grant's job as a computer programmer was and he needed
to watch out for paper cuts. J. T. would give anything to hear Grant's laughter
again.

J. T. focused on Jessica gently swaying in
the rocking chair. Listening carefully, he swore he could hear her soothing
voice sing a lullaby. The scene in the house was very hypnotic and he felt a
sense of peace. For the first time in years, he wanted to belong to a family.
To come home to a wife and children would be a peaceful change to the world
he'd witnessed lately. Putting his arms around a woman at the end of the day,
sharing the good and the bad would be heaven. J. T. quickly reached out and
pressed the doorbell without another thought. He wasn't here for a touchy-feely
moment. The child was the only reason he stood on her porch.

The doorbell chimed, piercing the still
morning. He could still see her image through the window as she walked toward
the door. Her movements were lithe and gracefully. Enticing. With a moment of
doubt, J. T. stepped back and started to retrace his steps down the porch when
he heard the door open.

The first thing he noticed when she opened
the door were her rich brown eyes. Expressive bedroom eyes. He'd seen
recognition in her gaze. In a moment of silence, a sensation of desire heated
his blood. It had been too long since he had sex if one look from her had him
thinking in that direction.

Jessica wore jeans and a white eyelet blouse
which hung low, where she held the baby, revealing the swell of her breast. Her
creamy white skin had him yearning to caress her.

"You must be Tyler."

He was glad to see the corners of her mouth
curve into a smile and chase the sadness away.

"Blake called and said you saw her
yesterday."

He'd done his homework. Talking to her
friends and neighbors helped paved the way to meet her. J. T. removed his cap
and pressed the cloth between his hands. Always able to talk himself out of any
situation, at the moment, he struggle for a coherent thought. "Yes,
ma'am."

"Won't you come in?"

Her hospitality was genuine and sincere. J.
T. speculated Jessica wouldn't be so friendly if she knew who he was and his
plan to spy on her to determine if she was fit to watch over Wyatt.

Her eyes widened with surprise. She held
Wyatt against her shoulder the way she had the other day in front of the
window. Then she reached out her free hand to him.

"I recognized you from the other day.
Nice to meet you. I'm Jessica Reid."

Her soft fingers wrapped around his hand.
The warmth and tenderness created a connection to the family closeness he'd
seen moments ago causing him to yearn for a better life.

"The pleasure is mine."

Startled by the serenity he felt with her,
J. T. wanted more and leaned toward her. He breathed in her fresh, clean scent,
a fragrance he didn't recognize. Her deep brown gaze studied him closely and he
wondered who was doing the investigation, her or him.